The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March, it was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In winning all three matches, Wales won the Championship for the first time and also took the Triple Crown.

The matches for this season were decided on points scored. A try was worth two points, while converting a kicked goal from the try gave an additional three points. A dropped goal and a goal from mark were both worth four points. Penalty goals were worth three points.

1.
England national rugby union team
–
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and they are ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board as of 20 June 2016. England were the first, and to date, the team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. They were also runners-up in 1991 and 2007, the history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official Test match, losing to Scotland by one goal. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship which started in 1883, following the schism of rugby football in 1895, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. England first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and went on to appear in the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their 2003 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam, they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup – defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time and they again contested the final in 2007, losing 15–6 to South Africa. England players traditionally wear a shirt with a Rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts. Their home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910, the team is administered by the Rugby Football Union. Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Englands first international match was against Scotland on Monday 27 March 1871. Not only was this match Englands first, but it proved to be the first ever rugby union international. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try to a try, in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872 which saw England defeat Scotland by a goal, in those early days there was no points system, it was only after 1890 that a format allowing the introduction of a points system was provided. Up until 1875 international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored, in 1875, England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil, the match was Irelands first ever Test. England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup and their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardsons Field in Blackheath. England recorded their largest victory, defeating the Welsh by seven goals, six tries, in 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives by one goal and four tries to nil at Rectory Field in Blackheath. In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland, England first played New Zealand in 1905. The All Blacks scored five tries, worth three points at this time, to win 15–0, England first played France in 1905, and Australia in 1909 when they were defeated 9–3

2.
Ireland national rugby union team
–
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright, the team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions. Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions, Irelands highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015. Dublin University was the first organised football club in Ireland. The club was organised by students who had learnt the game while at public schools in Great Britain, carlow, UCC, and Ballinasloe which amalgamated with Athlone to form Buccaneers. In 1874, the Irish Football Union was formed, Ireland lost their first test match against England 7–0 at the Oval on 15 February 1875. Both teams fielded 20 players in match, as was customary in the early years of rugby union. Irelands first home game was also against England in the year held at the Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines as Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable. The first match at Lansdowne Road was held on 11 March 1878 and it was not until 1881 that Ireland first won a test, beating Scotland at Ormeau in Belfast. Ireland turned up two men short for their game in Cardiff in 1884 and had to borrow two Welsh players, the first victory Ireland had at Lansdowne Road took place on 5 February 1887. It was also their first win over England, by two goals to nil, on the third of March 1888, Ireland recorded their first win over Wales with a goal, a try and a drop goal to nil. In 1894, Ireland followed the Welsh model of using seven backs instead of six for the first time, after victory over England at Blackheath, Ireland won back-to-back matches for the first time when recording their first win over Scotland on 24 February 1894. Ireland went on to beat Wales in Belfast and win the Triple Crown for the first time, in the 1890s, Rugby was primarily a game for the Protestant middle class, the only Catholic in Edmund Forrests 1894 team was Tom Crean. Of the eighteen players used in the three games, thirteen were from three Dublin clubs – Wanderers, Dublin University and Bective Rangers – and the five were from Ulster. Such was the level of interest in the visit of the first All Blacks team to Dublin in November 1905 that the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history, Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a rover. The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0, on 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19–8. This was Irelands biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally,30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a margin of 38–0

3.
Scotland national rugby union team
–
The Scotland national rugby union team represents Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union, the team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship and participates in the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years. As of 27 February 2017, Scotland are fifth in the World Rugby Rankings, the Scottish rugby team dates back to 1871, where they beat England in the first international rugby union match at Raeburn Place. Scotland competed in the Five Nations from the tournament in 1883. In 2000 the competition accepted a sixth competitor, Italy, thus forming the Six Nations, since this change, Scotland have yet to win the competition. Their best finish came in 1991, where they lost to the All Blacks in the third place play-off, Scotland have a strong rivalry with the English national team. They both annually compete for the Calcutta Cup, each year, this fixture is played out as part of the Six Nations, and Scotland last won it in 2008. In December 1870 a group of Scots players issued a letter of challenge in The Scotsman and in Bells Life in London, in front of around 4000 spectators, the Scots won the encounter by a try and a goal to a solitary try scored by England. England later got revenge by winning the match at the Kennington Oval. The Calcutta Cup was donated to the Rugby Football Union in 1878 by the members of the short-lived Calcutta Rugby Club, the members had decided to disband, the cup was crafted from melted-down silver rupees which became available when the Clubs funds were withdrawn from the bank. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for only by England and Scotland. The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879 and, since that time, in 1882 the Home Nations Championship, the fore-runner of the modern Six Nations Championship was founded with Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland taking part. Further Triple Crowns wins for Scotland followed in 1901,1903 and 1907, however, Scotlands triumph in 1907 would be the last for eighteen years as the First World War and Englands dominance afterwards would deny them glory. In 1897 land was purchased, by the SFU, at Inverleith, thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own ground. The first visitors were Ireland, on 18 February 1899, international rugby was played at Inverleith until 1925. The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield Stadium which was opened on 21 March 1925, in 1925 Scotland already had victories over France at Inverleith, Wales in Swansea and Ireland in Dublin. England, the Grand Slam champions of the two seasons were the first visitors to Murrayfield. 70,000 spectators saw the lead change three times before Scotland secured a 14–11 victory which gave them their first-ever Five Nations Grand Slam

4.
Wales national rugby union team
–
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy, Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 26 times outright. Wales most recent championship win came in 2013, the governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union, was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales performances in the Home Nations Championship continued to improve, experiencing their first golden age between 1900 and 1911 and they first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the two World Wars, but experienced a golden age between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight Five Nations Championships. Wales played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 where they achieved their best ever result of third, following the sport allowing professionalism in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup and, in 2005, won their first Six Nations Grand Slam. That was the first Grand Slam won by a team playing most of the matches away from home, Wales won two more Grand Slams in 2008 and in 2012, and in 2011 came fourth in the Rugby World Cup. Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, currently known for reasons as Principality Stadium. Eight former Welsh players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby union took root in Wales in 1850, when Reverend Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal at St Davids College, Lampeter, where he introduced the sport. Wales played their first international on 19 February 1881, organised by Newports Richard Mullock, Wales played against England, losing by seven goals, one drop goal, on 12 March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath. Two years later, the Home Nation Championship – now the Six Nations Championship – was first played, however, rugby in Wales developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had developed the four three-quarters formation. This formation – with seven backs and eight forwards, instead of six backs and nine forwards – revolutionised the sport and was adopted almost universally at international. With the four three-quarter formation Wales became Home International Champions for the first time in 1893, Wales next won the Championship in 1900, heralding the first golden age of Welsh rugby which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902 and 1905, and were runners up in 1901,1903 and 1904, when Wales faced New Zealands All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in late 1905 they had not lost at home since 1899. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales and the score did not change, the loss was the All Blacks only loss on their 35-match tour. In 1906, Wales again won the Home Championship, and later that played the South African national side. Wales were favourites to win the match, but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards, two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played the touring Australians, the Wallabies, who they defeated 9–6. In 1909, Wales won the Home Championship and then, in 1910 – with the inclusion of France – the first Five Nations and it would be nearly forty years before they achieved a Grand Slam again

5.
Six Nations Championship
–
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions are England, having won the 2017 tournament, the Six Nations is the successor to the Home Nations Championship, played between teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which was the first international rugby union tournament. With the addition of France, this became the Five Nations Championship, the winners of the Six Nations Championship are sometimes unofficially referred to in the media as the European Champions or Northern Hemisphere Champions. Since the Six Nations era started in 2000, only Italy and Scotland have failed to win the Six Nations title, although Scotland were the last outright winners of the Five Nations. Played annually, the format of the Championship is simple, each team every other team once. Prior to the 2017 tournament, two points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss, unlike many other rugby union competitions the bonus point system has not previously been used. On 30 November 2016, the 6 Nations Committee announced that the point system will be trialled for the 2017 Championship. The system will be similar to the one used in most rugby championships, a review on how well the system worked will take place following the tournament. If a team wins all its games, they are said to have won a Grand Slam, victory by any Home Nation over the other three Home Nations is a Triple Crown. Although this achievement has long been a feature of the tournament, also, the team that finishes at the bottom of the league table is said to have won the Wooden Spoon, although no actual trophy is given to the team. A team which has lost all five matches is said to have been whitewashed, since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided the Wooden Spoon award. Italy are the holders of the most Wooden Spoon awards in the Six Nations era with eleven, however, each of the other five nations has accumulated more than that through competing in previous eras. Several individual competitions take place under the umbrella of the tournament, the oldest such regular competition is for the Calcutta Cup, contested annually between England and Scotland since 1879. It is named the Calcutta Cup as it is made from melted-down Indian Rupees donated by the Calcutta Club, prior to 1994, teams equal on match points shared the championship. Since then, ties have been broken by considering the difference of the teams. The rules of the championship further provide that if teams tie on both points and points difference, the team which scored the most tries wins the championship. Were this decider to be a tie, the teams would share the championship. To date, however, match points and points difference have been sufficient to decide the championship, the winners of the Six Nations are presented with the Championship Trophy

6.
Triple Crown (rugby union)
–
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the so-called Home Nations – i. e. England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship. If any one of these teams defeats all three teams, they win the Triple Crown. England won the first Triple Crown – although the phrase was not in use at the time – in the inaugural 1883 series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. The latest winners are England, who beat Ireland, Scotland, traditionally the Triple Crown was an informal honour with no trophy associated with it. However a trophy now exists, which has awarded to Triple Crown winners since 2006. The origins of the name Triple Crown are uncertain, the concept dates to the original Home Nations Championship, predecessor of the Six Nations Championship, when the competition only involved England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Like the modern Grand Slam, the Triple Crown was an honour to a team that won the Championship with straight victories. The Irish victory in 1894 was reported as a Triple Crown by The Irish Times at the time and is possibly the first time the phrase was seen in print, the phrase Triple Crown is also used in a number of other sports. Until 2006, no trophy was awarded to the winner of the Triple Crown. Dave Merrington, a miner from South Hetton, County Durham. This has a sitting on a four-sided base on which are represented a rose, a shamrock, a thistle. It is kept in the Museum of Rugby at Twickenham and this has been awarded to Triple Crown winning sides since 2006. It has been won three times by Ireland, twice by Wales and twice by England, there has been a Triple Crown winner in 65 of the 120 competitions held from 1883 through to 2016. Only two teams have achieved the Triple Crown in four years, Wales and England. No other teams have won the crown more than twice in a row. To date, the Triple Crown winners who failed to win the Championship are Wales in 1977, England in 1997,1998,2002 and 2014, Triple Crown winners who succeeded only in sharing the Championship were England in 1954 and 1960, and Wales in 1988. The following table shows the number of Triple Crown wins by each country, and the years in which they were achieved

7.
Wales
–
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh

8.
Billy Bancroft
–
William John Billy Bancroft was a Welsh international fullback who played club rugby for Swansea and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, becoming their first professional player in 1895. Bancroft was seen as one of the first true stars of Welsh rugby and he possessed great speed and was an excellent kicker of the ball, though some critics felt his defensive play was weak. His brother Jack also played rugby for Wales, Bancroft made his first club appearance for Swansea on 5 October 1889. He would play for Swansea for his career and is considered one of the greatest fullbacks to have played for the club. In the fourteen seasons he played with Swansea he was their top scorer in twelve of them. Bancroft was first capped on 1 February 1890 against Scotland as a replacement for the injured Tommy England, Bancroft would play 33 times for his country, all consecutively, a record that would lay unbroken until Ken Jones did so in 1954. Although Bancroft would only win two out of his first nine Welsh games, he was part of the Wales team that won their first Triple Crown in 1893, the first game of that season saw Wales face England at the Cardiff Arms Park. With little time left to play and Wales losing 9–11, they were awarded a penalty near touch,30 yards from the England goal line, the Welsh captain, Arthur Gould called Bancroft over and told him to kick for goal. Bancroft insisted on dropping for goal, but Gould forbade it, the two began arguing in front of the home crowd, until in frustration Gould threw the ball to the ground and walked away. Bancroft successfully kicked the goal which would win the match for Wales. This penalty goal although dropped by Bancroft was still awarded as such, in 1899 in a match against Ireland at Stradey Park, Bancroft would fail to complete an international match for the only time in his career. Due to no barriers around the pitch the crowd were lined up around the touch line, the referee was forced to delay the match for half an hour while police and officials attempted to force the crowd back. Bancroft landed awkwardly and fractured ribs, forcing him to retire from the game. After the Gould Affair, Bancroft was given the captaincy in 1898 and he quickly became a regular player and when Glamorgan decided to appoint their first professional cricketer, around the mid 1890s, they selected Bancroft. A fine all-round player at minor county level, Bancroft would not only bat and bowl, Bancroft kept his ties with Glamorgan after retiring as a player, and coached many youngsters who came through the club, including future Test cricketer Gilbert Parkhouse. Bancroft had very close ties to St. Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground, having lived there as a child where his father and he played club rugby at the ground with Swansea and cricket there with Glamorgan. In his later years he too would become St Helens groundsman, Cricket Archive Player profile of Billy Bancroft Swansea Rugby Football Club Player profile of Billy Bancroft Smith, David, Williams, Gareth. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, a Century of Welsh Rugby Players

9.
England
–
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years

10.
Howard Marshall (rugby union)
–
Dr Howard Marshall OBE was an English rugby union half-back who played club rugby for Blackheath and Richmond and was a member of the first official British Isles tour in 1891. Marshall played just one game for England, scoring a hat-trick of tries on his debut, Marshall was born in Sunderland in 1870 to John Ferrow Marshall, a ship-owner. He was educated at schools, including Barnard Castle and Norfolk County. Although Marshall would later have a rugby career, he did not win a sporting Blue while at Cambridge. Marshall first entered medicine when he joined the college, St. Bartholomews, becoming a House Surgeon. He later became an Assistant House Surgeon at Nottingham General Hospital, before becoming a General practitioner at Bexhill-on-Sea, from 1910 he became a surgeon at Cirencester Memorial Hospital. Marshall was the officer to the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester and was also the civil surgeon to the 4th Battalion of the Gloucester Regiment. On the outbreak of World War I, Bingham Hall in Cirencester was turned into a Red Cross Hospital, for his services in Cirencester during the war he was awarded the OBE. Marshall played for club teams during his rugby career. That season saw William Percy Carpmael, a fellow Blackheath player, form the invitational touring team, the Barbarians, on the first tour Marshall had the distinction of scoring the first ever points in Wales by a Barbarian player, when he scored a try against Cardiff. Marshall later became a member for the Barbarians. In 1891 Marshall was selected for another rugby first, when he was chosen to represent the British Isles team on their first official overseas tour. Played in South Africa, the British Isles team faced 17 regional and invitational teams, Marshall played in two international games, paired with Edward Bromet in the Second Test at Kimberley and then with Arthur Rotherham in the third and final Test, at Cape Town. In 1893 Marshall played his one and only England international tour when he was selected to face Wales as part of the Home Nations Championship, Marshall had an incredible debut, scoring a hat-trick of tries, but incredibly finished on the losing side after a great Welsh come back. Despite his high try scoring debut, this was his international cap for England. The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records

12.
Cardiff
–
Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the eleventh-largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is the chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media. The unitary authority areas mid-2011 population was estimated to be 346,100, the Cardiff metropolitan area makes up over a third of the total population of Wales, with a mid-2011 population estimate of about 1,100,000 people. Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographics alternative tourist destinations, the city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan. Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities, the Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955, since the 1980s, Cardiff has seen significant development. A new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly, sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium, SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff International Sports Stadium and Cardiff Arms Park. The city was awarded the title of European City of Sport twice, due to its role in hosting major sporting events, first in 2009. The Millennium Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the opening event. Caerdydd derives from the earlier Welsh form Caerdyf, the change from -dyf to -dydd shows the colloquial alteration of Welsh f and dd, and was perhaps also driven by folk etymology. This sound change had probably first occurred in the Middle Ages, Caerdyf has its origins in post-Roman Brythonic words meaning the fort of the Taff. The fort probably refers to that established by the Romans, the anglicised form Cardiff is derived from Caerdyf, with the Welsh f borrowed as ff /f/, as also happens in Taff and Llandaff. As English does not have the vowel the final vowel has been borrowed as /ɪ/, although some sources repeat this theory, it has been rejected on linguistic grounds by modern scholars such as Professor Gwynedd Pierce. A group of five Bronze Age tumuli is at the summit of The Garth, four Iron Age hill fort and enclosure sites have been identified within Cardiffs present-day county boundaries, including Caerau Hillfort, an enclosed area of 5.1 hectares. The fort was one of a series of military outposts associated with Isca Augusta that acted as border defences, the fort may have been abandoned in the early 2nd century as the area had been subdued. However, by this time a settlement, or vicus, was established

13.
Dublin
–
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Dublin is in the province of Leinster on Irelands east coast, the city has an urban area population of 1,345,402. The population of the Greater Dublin Area, as of 2016, was 1,904,806 people, founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Irelands principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly from the 17th century and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800, following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland. Dublin is administered by a City Council, the city is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha-, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. It is a historical and contemporary centre for education, the arts, administration, economy, the name Dublin comes from the Irish word Dubhlinn, early Classical Irish Dubhlind/Duibhlind, dubh /d̪uβ/, alt. /d̪uw/, alt /d̪u, / meaning black, dark, and lind /lʲiɲ pool and this tidal pool was located where the River Poddle entered the Liffey, on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. In Modern Irish the name is Duibhlinn, and Irish rhymes from Dublin County show that in Dublin Leinster Irish it was pronounced Duílinn /d̪ˠi, other localities in Ireland also bear the name Duibhlinn, variously anglicized as Devlin, Divlin and Difflin. Historically, scribes using the Gaelic script wrote bh with a dot over the b and those without knowledge of Irish omitted the dot, spelling the name as Dublin. Variations on the name are found in traditionally Irish-speaking areas of Scotland, such as An Linne Dhubh. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. Baile Átha Cliath, meaning town of the ford, is the common name for the city in modern Irish. Áth Cliath is a name referring to a fording point of the River Liffey near Father Mathew Bridge. Baile Átha Cliath was an early Christian monastery, believed to have been in the area of Aungier Street, there are other towns of the same name, such as Àth Cliath in East Ayrshire, Scotland, which is Anglicised as Hurlford. Although the area of Dublin Bay has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and he called the settlement Eblana polis. It is now thought that the Viking settlement was preceded by a Christian ecclesiastical settlement known as Duibhlinn, beginning in the 9th and 10th century, there were two settlements where the modern city stands. The subsequent Scandinavian settlement centred on the River Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey in an area now known as Wood Quay, the Dubhlinn was a small lake used to moor ships, the Poddle connected the lake with the Liffey. This lake was covered during the early 18th century as the city grew, the Dubhlinn lay where the Castle Garden is now located, opposite the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle

14.
Edinburgh
–
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 local government council areas. Located in Lothian on the Firth of Forths southern shore, it is Scotlands second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The 2014 official population estimates are 464,990 for the city of Edinburgh,492,680 for the authority area. Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is home to the Scottish Parliament and it is the largest financial centre in the UK after London. Historically part of Midlothian, the city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, literature, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of four in the city, was placed 17th in the QS World University Rankings in 2013 and 2014. The city is famous for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe. The citys historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdoms second most popular tourist destination after London, attracting over one million overseas visitors each year. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, Edinburghs Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. It appears to derive from the place name Eidyn mentioned in the Old Welsh epic poem Y Gododdin, the poem names Din Eidyn as a hill fort in the territory of the Gododdin. The Celtic element din was dropped and replaced by the Old English burh, the first documentary evidence of the medieval burgh is a royal charter, c. 1124–1127, by King David I granting a toft in burgo meo de Edenesburg to the Priory of Dunfermline. In modern Gaelic, the city is called Dùn Èideann, the earliest known human habitation in the Edinburgh area was at Cramond, where evidence was found of a Mesolithic camp site dated to c.8500 BC. Traces of later Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements have found on Castle Rock, Arthurs Seat, Craiglockhart Hill. When the Romans arrived in Lothian at the end of the 1st century AD, at some point before the 7th century AD, the Gododdin, who were presumably descendants of the Votadini, built the hill fort of Din Eidyn or Etin. Although its location has not been identified, it likely they would have chosen a commanding position like the Castle Rock, Arthurs Seat. In 638, the Gododdin stronghold was besieged by forces loyal to King Oswald of Northumbria and it thenceforth remained under their jurisdiction. The royal burgh was founded by King David I in the early 12th century on land belonging to the Crown, in 1638, King Charles Is attempt to introduce Anglican church forms in Scotland encountered stiff Presbyterian opposition culminating in the conflicts of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. In the 17th century, Edinburghs boundaries were defined by the citys defensive town walls

15.
Belfast
–
Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, the second largest on the island of Ireland, and the heart of the tenth largest Primary Urban Area in the United Kingdom. On the River Lagan, it had a population of 286,000 at the 2011 census and 333,871 after the 2015 council reform, Belfast was granted city status in 1888. Belfast played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, and was an industrial centre until the latter half of the 20th century. It has sustained a major aerospace and missiles industry since the mid 1930s, industrialisation and the inward migration it brought made Belfast Irelands biggest city at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education, business, and law, additionally, Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Victoria Square. Belfast is served by two airports, George Best Belfast City Airport in the city, and Belfast International Airport 15 miles west of the city. Although the county borough of Belfast was created when it was granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1888, the site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age. The Giants Ring, a 5, 000-year-old henge, is located near the city, Belfast remained a small settlement of little importance during the Middle Ages. The ONeill clan had a presence in the area, in the 14th century, Cloinne Aodha Buidhe, descendants of Aodh Buidhe ONeill built Grey Castle at Castlereagh, now in the east of the city. Conn ONeill of the Clannaboy ONeills owned vast lands in the area and was the last inhabitant of Grey Castle, evidence of this period of Belfasts growth can still be seen in the oldest areas of the city, known as the Entries. Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries, industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, in 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city. In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland as the island of Ireland was partitioned, the accompanying conflict cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the Troubles of the late 1960s onwards. Belfast was heavily bombed during World War II, in one raid, in 1941, German bombers killed around one thousand people and left tens of thousands homeless. Apart from London, this was the greatest loss of life in a raid during the Blitz. Belfast has been the capital of Northern Ireland since its establishment in 1921 following the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and it had been the scene of various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic and Protestant populations. These opposing groups in conflict are now often termed republican and loyalist respectively. The most recent example of conflict was known as the Troubles – a civil conflict that raged from around 1969 to 1998

16.
Leeds
–
Leeds /liːdz/ is a city in West Yorkshire, England. Historically in Yorkshires West Riding, the history of Leeds can be traced to the 5th century when the name referred to an area of the Kingdom of Elmet. The name has applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small borough in the 13th century, through several incarnations. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a centre for the production. During the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a mill town, wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing. From being a market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. The city has the third largest jobs total by local authority area with 480,000 in employment and self-employment at the beginning of 2015. Leeds is also ranked as a world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Leeds is served by four universities, and has the fourth largest student population in the country and has the fourth largest urban economy. After London, Leeds is the largest legal and financial centre in the UK, with over 30 national and international banks located in the city. Leeds is also the UKs third largest manufacturing centre with around 1,800 firms and 39,000 employees, the largest sub-sectors are engineering, printing and publishing, food and drink, chemicals and medical technology. Outside of London, Leeds has the third busiest railway station, Public transport, rail and road communications networks in the region are focused on Leeds and there are a number of twinning arrangements with towns and cities in other countries. The name Leeds derives from the old Brythonic word Ladenses meaning people of the fast-flowing river and this name originally referred to the forested area covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin, the term Leodensian is also used, from the citys Latin name. Leeds developed as a town in the Middle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy. Before the Industrial Revolution it became a centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth. Leeds handled one sixth of Englands export trade in 1770, growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816

17.
Llanelli
–
The town is famous for its proud rugby tradition and is a centre of tinplate production. Llanelli is surrounded by a number of villages and communities in the Llanelli Rural district, some of these communities, especially ones that immediately surround the town, are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli. In many respects, Llanelli represents a continuation of the Newport-Cardiff-Swansea metropolitan belt into the more rural West of Wales, the spelling Llanelly is an anglicised form which was used until 1966, after which it was changed following a local public campaign. This is evident in the name of the historic building. It can also lead to confusion with the village and parish, Llanelly, the town lies on the River Lliedi, although much of the river is not visible, especially in the town centre, where the river is underneath the town. Historically a mining town, Llanelli grew significantly in the 18th century and 19th century with the mining of coal and later the tinplate industry, many of these industries were served by the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway which opened in 1803. Llanelli became such a significant regional producer of tin that it was referred to as Tinopolis by the half of the 19th century. The closure of mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in southern Wales, saw significant. People from Llanelli are sometimes nicknamed Turks, the origin of this name is uncertain. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port of Llanelli during their voyages, Llanelli has hosted the National Eisteddfod six times, in 1895,1903,1930,1962,2000 and 2014. In the mid-20th century, Llanelli was the largest town in the world more than half the population spoke a Celtic language. It is ranked the 7th largest urban area in Wales, according to the 2011 UK Census returns,23. 7% of Llanelli town residents could speak the Welsh language. During the 1950s, Trefor and Eileen Beasley campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met, the council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. The Beasleys neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them, the council finally reversed this policy during the 1960s when they accepted that the Welsh language should be equal with the English language. In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct Travel to Work Area, the area around Llanelli in eastern Carmarthenshire is home to a number of manufacturing companies, many of which service the automotive industry. The Technium Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as an incubator for businesses in the automotive, motorsport. The core shopping area has now relocated from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area. Llanelli has a tradition, with the Felinfoel Brewery in Felinfoel

18.
Try
–
A try is a way of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the oppositions in-goal area, Rugby union and league differ slightly in defining grounding the ball and the in-goal area. The term try comes from try at goal, signifying that originally, in the laws of both codes of rugby, the term touch down formally refers only to grounding the ball by the defensive team in their in-goal. Although occasionally people refer to a try as a touchdown, the usage for the action is grounding the ball. There are differences in the detail of the laws and their interpretation between the two rugby codes. These are the aspects, while the differences are treated below. The player holding the ball to score a try and the ball itself must not be in touch or touch-in-goal, the touchline, touch-in-goal lines and dead ball lines count as being out. There has to be contact with the ground by a player or the ball for it to be ruled in touch or touch-in-goal, the in-goal area in which the ball must be grounded includes the goal line, but not the touch-in-goal and dead ball lines. A player does not need to be holding the ball to ground it, if the ball is on the ground or just above it, it can be touched to the ground with a hand, arm or front torso. Match officials interpret dropping the ball in-goal as a knock-on, for a try to be awarded, they consider whether the player had the intention to ground the ball and was in control of the ball when he did. Grounding of the ball can be instantaneous, it does not matter if the player lets go. An attacking player who falls to the ground reaching the goal line scores a try if momentum carries the player so that the ball touches the in-goal. For a try to be awarded, a player must ground the ball before a defender does so. If there is doubt about which team first grounded the ball, a player who is in touch or touch-in-goal, but who is not carrying the ball, may score a try by grounding the ball in-goal. The goal-posts and padding at ground level are part of the line and therefore of the in-goal. A player may ground the ball in a scrum as soon as the ball reaches or crosses the goal line, if an attacking player is tackled short of the goal-line but immediately reaches out and places the ball on or over the goal-line, a try is scored. The laws of rugby league still refer to the need for downward pressure to be exerted in grounding the ball with hand or arm, the laws of rugby league specify that a try is scored if an attacker grounds the ball simultaneously with a defender. Players who are in touch-in-goal and not carrying the ball may not score a try by pressing a loose ball still in play to the ground

19.
Arthur Gould (rugby union)
–
Arthur Joseph Monkey Gould was a Welsh international rugby union centre and fullback who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales,18 as captain, a talented all-round player and champion sprinter, Gould could side-step and kick expertly with either foot. He never ceased practising to develop his fitness and skills, following the withdrawal of their regular fullback, Newport RFC first selected Gould in 1882, when he was 18. He was never dropped from the side thereafter and played regularly until he retired in 1898. Gould played for Newport during their season of 1891–92, when they did not lose a match, and scored a record 37 tries in Newports 24-game 1893–94 season. Gould was first selected for Wales in 1885 when he played at fullback against England, by the time Gould retired he was the most capped Welsh centre, a record he held until 1980, with 25 caps in the position. He ended his career against England on 9 January 1897. The game, played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade, was Goulds 18th as Wales captain – a record broken by Ieuan Evans in 1994. Towards the end of his career, Gould was at the centre of a known as the Gould affair that saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for a year. The controversy centred on the support of the Welsh Football Union for a testimonial for Gould on his retirement, the English Rugby Football Union and International Rugby Football Board argued that the testimonial constituted professionalism – which they claimed breached the sports by-laws. The WFU withdrew from the IRFB in protest, rejoining a year later under the IRFB-imposed condition that Gould would not represent Wales again and he worked as a brewery representative after retiring from rugby, and died of an internal haemorrhage in 1919 at the age of 54. Arthur Joseph Gould was born into a family in Newport, Monmouthshire, on 10 October 1864 to Joseph. His father, from Oxford, England, moved to Newport to find work, Joseph was also an ardent sportsman, playing for the local cricket team. Goulds five brothers were all notable players and athletes. His brother Bob was a forward who played 136 times for Newport Rugby Football Club, Bob was also capped 11 times for Wales between 1882 and 1887, and captained his country once, versus Scotland in 1887. A younger brother, Bert, was a centre who played three times for Wales – he appeared with Gould in the Welsh team that won the Triple Crown for the first time in 1893 and his other brothers – Harry, Gus and Wyatt – all played rugby for Newport. Wyatt captained Newport in 1905–06, and Harry played for them in their season of 1875–76. For the first 29 seasons of its existence, Newport RFC always had at least one of the Gould brothers in the team, Wyatt played for the club until 1907, he also ran the 400 m hurdles for Great Britain in the 1908 Summer Olympics

20.
Norman Biggs
–
Norman Witchell Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, Biggs also played cricket for Glamorgan and in 1893 was part of a team that took on Cardiff in a two-day match, he faced his brother Selwyn, who was a member of the Cardiff team. Norman Biggs was born in Cardiff to John and Emily Biggs and his father, who lived at Park Place in the centre of the city, was a brewer by trade who owned businesses in Cardiff and Bristol. It was reported that Biggs should have won a sporting Blue while at Cambridge, as well as playing rugby, Biggs was a keen sprinter and he was able to run 100 yards in even time, and was able to beat world sprint champion Charlton Monypenny at this distance. On returning to Cardiff he joined his fathers brewing business, in 1887, Biggs played his first senior game for Cardiff RFC, in a match against Penarth. Biggs came from a sporting family and was one of six brothers to play rugby for Cardiff. His most notable brothers were Selwyn, who played for Wales, and Cecil. Biggs gained his first cap for Wales when he was selected to play against the touring New Zealand Natives in 1888 at St. Helens Ground. At the time Biggs was 18 years and 49 days old, making him the youngest Wales international, the New Zealanders were the first touring team from the Southern Hemisphere and brought with them a reputation for over-vigorous play. Biggs himself was described by the press as palpably nervous before the kick-off, though many of the backs appeared withdrawn, apart from William Stadden and James Webb appearing calm. Not only did Biggs have the Māori opposition to contend with, Biggs, as an inexperienced new cap from rivals Cardiff, was picked out by the crowd as one of those players unworthy of his place and was heckled. Nonetheless, the Welsh team were victorious, with tries from Thomas, Towers and Hannan, a week later on 29 December, Biggs faced the same tourists, this time as part of the Cardiff team. Biggs had been disappointing in his debut, but regained his form on the pitch at the Cardiff Arms Park. Within 90 seconds of the start of the match, Biggs scored a sparkling try, Biggs should have scored again, but dropped the ball after crossing the line in the slippery conditions. Cardiff won by a goal and a try to one try, later in the 1888–89 season, Biggs was reselected for the Welsh team as part of the 1889 Home Nations Championship. He was not chosen for the first game of the season against Scotland, under the captaincy of Arthur Gould, Biggs was partnered on the wing by Abel Davies of London Welsh. Wales lost to Ireland by two tries to nil, the first time the Irish had won on Welsh soil, Biggs and Davies were both dropped for the next season. It took Biggs until the 1892 Home Nations Championship to regain his place in the national team, although the Welsh backs contained the talents of Billy Bancroft, brothers Evan and David James and Arthur and Bert Gould, the Welsh team were outclassed by Victor Le Fanus Ireland

21.
Andrew Stoddart
–
Andrew Ernest Stoddart was a sportsman who played international cricket for England, and rugby union for England and the British Isles. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893, born in South Shields, County Durham, he was the youngest son of a wine merchant, who moved the whole family to Marylebone, London, in 1877. Stoddart made his reputation in club cricket and was playing for Middlesex by 1885 and he played 16 Test matches captaining England in 8 games of which he won 3, lost 4 and drew 1. He was a flamboyant right-handed batsman and a right arm medium pace bowler, when he was 23, just a year after his first class debut, he was toying with the idea of giving up his amateur career in England to join his brother in Colorado. His plans changed when he took the record for the highest ever score in cricket at the time with an innings of 485 for Hampstead against Stoics on 4 August 1886. No declarations were allowed in the game and the Stoics, living up to their name, Stoddart was seventh out, having batted six hours and ten minutes and clubbed one eight, three fives, and 64 fours. The runs were scored at a rapid pace - the score was 370 for 3 at lunch after 150 minutes of play. He made 207 for Hampstead in the match three days later and on 9 August was playing for Middlesex and made 98, a grand total of 790 runs in a week. Stoddart was a man with a great zest for life in his younger days. He had danced then played cards till dawn before the Stoics game, batted almost through Hampsteads innings of 813, then played tennis, went to the theatre and his next innings was against Kent when he posted his maiden first class century in scoring 116. Seventy years later, David Frith used My dear victorious Stod as the title of his biography of Stoddart. Stoddart also played ten rugby union internationals for England, and captained England four times, during his footballing career, Stoddart was at the forefront of many rugby firsts. In 1888, with fellow cricketers Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury he helped organise what became recognised as the first British Lions rugby union tour of Australia, the team played 55 matches, winning 27 of 35 rugby matches. He took over the early in the tour when the Robert L. Seddon drowned in a sculling accident. In 1890 Stoddart became a member of the Barbarian F. C. the invitational rugby club. On 27 December, Stoddart was given the captaincy of the very first Barbarian team, in 1901, Emily left for Europe, reportedly for the good of her voice. She did not return, and her husband divorced her on grounds of desertion in 1903, Stoddart and his wife lived at St John’s Wood. He worked on the Stock Exchange, then secretary of The Queen’s Club

22.
Cardiff Arms Park
–
Cardiff Arms Park, also known as The Arms Park and the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park for sponsorship reasons from September 2014, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, the Arms Park also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96 and the following year in 1996–97. The history of the ground begins with the first stands appearing for spectators in the ground in 1881–1882. Originally the Arms Park had a ground to the north. By 1969, the ground had been demolished to make way for the present day rugby ground to the north. The site also has a green to the north of the rugby ground, which is used by Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club. The National Stadium also hosted music concerts including Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones. The Cardiff Arms Park site was called the Great Park. The hotel was built by Sir Thomas Morgan, during the reign of Charles I, Cardiff Arms Park was named after this hotel. From 1803, the Cardiff Arms Hotel and the Park had become the property of the Bute family, the Arms Park soon became a popular place for sporting events, and by 1848, Cardiff Cricket Club was using the site for its cricket matches. However, by 1878, Cardiff Arms Hotel had been demolished, the 3rd Marquess of Bute stipulated that the ground could only be used for recreational purposes. At that time Cardiff Arms Park had a ground to the north. 1881–2 saw the first stands for spectators, they held 300 spectators, the architect was Archibald Leitch, famous for designing Ibrox Stadium and Old Trafford, amongst others. In 1890, new standing areas were constructed along the length of the ground. By 1912, the Cardiff Football Ground, as it was known, had a new south stand and temporary stands on the north. The south stand was covered, while the terrace was initially without a roof. The improvements were funded by the Welsh Rugby Union

23.
Scottish Rugby Union
–
The Scottish Rugby Union, or Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic, is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the league system, known as the Scottish League Championship. The SRU is headed by the President and Chairman, with Mark Dodson acting as the Chief Executive Officer, the Scottish Football Union was founded on Monday 3 March 1873 at a meeting held at Glasgow Academy, Elmbank Street, Glasgow. Eight clubs were represented at the foundation, Glasgow Academicals, Edinburgh Academical Football Club, University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club, Royal High School FP, Merchistonians, Edinburgh University RFC, and Glasgow University. Five of these clubs were, at the time of founding the Scottish Football Union, although the RFU now represents exclusively English clubs, in its first few years it had members from outside England, there being no other national union. West of Scotland, Glasgow Academicals and Edinburgh University had joined the RFU in 1871 and Edinburgh Academicals and these five renounced membership of the RFU to join the SFU. The SFU was a member of the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby, in 1886 with Ireland. In 1924 the SFU changed its name to become the Scottish Rugby Union, International games were played at Inverleith from 1899 to 1925 when Murrayfield was opened. The four traditional districts—the South, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the North & Midlands —were given the go-ahead to take part in Europe, for the first two seasons, players were still released to play for their clubs in domestic competition, but eventually the districts became full-time operations. Then financial difficulties—the SRUs high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield—called for retrenchment, after two seasons, financial difficulties forced the SRU to merge the four teams into two. Edinburgh merged with the Border Reivers to form a team to be known as Edinburgh Reivers, Glasgow merged with Caledonian to form a team to be known as Glasgow Caledonian. The Borders was resurrected in 2002 and joined the season of the Celtic League. As a consequence Edinburgh Reivers became simply Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow became Glasgow Rugby, in 2005, all three teams adopted new names. The Borders readopted the name Border Reivers, Edinburgh became Edinburgh Gunners, but would revert to Edinburgh in 2006, furthermore, the SRU planned to have a world class rugby side for each city or large town in Scotland, when financial circumstances permitted. In 2007, The Borders team was disbanded yet again as a result of continuing financial difficulties, in the same year, the SRU began organising the Scotland Sevens, first held in Edinburgh and later in Glasgow. For several years, it was the event in the annual Sevens World Series. On 21 November 2009 Scotland beat Australia 9–8 after 17 attempts in 27 years, in the Season 2010–11 the SRU had a contractual dispute with the Season Ticket Holders of Edinburgh Rugby

24.
Swansea RFC
–
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea, the team is also known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip. The club is a club to the Ospreys. The club was founded in 1872 and, in 1881 it became one of the founder clubs of the Welsh Rugby Union. In the early twentieth century Swansea RFC was a successful club. For four consecutive seasons Swansea were the unofficial Welsh champions from the 1898/99 season through to 1901/02, under the captaincy of Frank Gordon the team would later go on a 22-month unbeaten run, from December 1903 through to October 1905. During this period Swansea appeared to be under-represented at international level, the immediate post war years brought only limited success, although a notable 6-6 draw was achieved against New Zealand in 1953 followed by a 9-8 victory against Australia in 1966. It was not until the centenary season in 1973/74, however. Swansea achieved further success as club champions in 1979/80, 1980/81, the 1990s saw success for the club, including being league champions on 4 occasions and Welsh cup winners in 1995 and 1999. A memorable 21-6 victory was recorded over then World champions Australia at St Helens on 4 November 1992, in season 1995/96 Swansea reached the semi-final stage of the European Cup. The 2003/04 season has seen a significant change with the introduction of rugby in Wales. Swansea Rugby Football Club Ltd, alongside Neath RFC are co-owners of the Ospreys, as a result, Swansea RFC returned to being an amateur team. In their first season Swansea missed out on promotion back to the Premiership, Swansea RFC defeated New Zealand 11-3 on Saturday 28 September 1935, becoming the first ever club side to beat the All Blacks. In November 1992, Swansea RFC defeated world champions Australia 21-6, players may hold more than one non-WR nationality. The following former players were selected for the British and Irish Lions touring squads whilst playing for Swansea RFC, the following former players captained the Wales national rugby union team whilst playing for Swansea RFC. See also Wales rugby union captains The players listed below have played for Swansea and have played international rugby. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, Swansea RFC/The Whites Ospreys Official Website Welsh Rugby Union

25.
Cardiff RFC
–
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens and they built a reputation as one of the great clubs in world rugby largely through a series of wins against international touring sides. Both South Africa and New Zealand have been beaten by Cardiff, through its history Cardiff RFC have provided more players to the Welsh national side and British and Irish Lions than any other Welsh club. The first recognised team to begin playing rugby in Cardiff was Glamorgan Football Club, the team was formed by a group of young men during the 1873/74 season, after a circular letter was sent to interested parties by S. Campell Cory. Playing under the Cheltenham College rules, Glamorgan FC had increased its membership to sixty six by November 1874,1874 saw Glamorgans first away game, against Cowbridge Grammar School, and by 1875 the team played its first encounter with Newport. Of the three teams, Glamorgan and Wanderers became the most notable, but both teams rarely travelled, and both had difficulty beating the now established clubs of Newport and Swansea. The supporters of both clubs started an agitation in the summer of 1876 for the two clubs to amalgamate, to give Cardiff town a chance of beating the neighbouring teams. On Friday 22 September 1876 members of the Glamorgan and Wanderers clubs met at the Swiss Hall in Queen Street, Cardiff and decided to make a single club, the first team captain was Donaldson Selby of Glamorgan and the vice-captain W. D. Phillips of Wanderers. Cardiff FC played their first fixture on 2 December 1876, versus Newport at Wentloog Marshes, in 1881, Cardiff beat Llanelli to win the South Wales Challenge Cup, though the tournament was scrapped soon after due to persistent crowd trouble. In 1881, Newport based sports administrator, Richard Mullock, formed the first Welsh international rugby team, despite the team losing heavily to England, Mullock had chosen four players from Cardiff to represent the team, club captain William David Phillips, vice-captain B. B. Mann, Barry Girling and Leonard Watkins, a reflection on the clubs importance at the time, a month later, on 12 March 1881, Cardiff RFC was one of the eleven clubs present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in Neath. A notable early player was Frank Hancock, a skilful centre, Hancock first played for Cardiff due to an injury to a first regular. The system was adopted by the Welsh national team and the seven backs. Cardiff RFC and Hancock were jointly recognised by the International Rugby Board in 2011 for this innovation with induction to the IRB Hall of Fame, in 1898, Cardiff were unofficial club champions of Wales for the first time. One year later, centre Gwyn Nicholls became the first Cardiff player to play for the British and Irish Lions, Nicholls would also go on to captain Wales between 1902 and 1906. In 1904, Cardiff players fly-half Percy Bush, centre Rhys Gabe and Arthur Boxer Harding all went on the Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand. Bush scored in the first and second test against Australia, as Nicholls had, and thanks to his tries and goal-kicking during the first three Tests, finished as the top Test points scorer. In 1905, there were four Cardiff players in the Wales team that famously beat New Zealand, Harding, Nicholls, Bush, Gabe and Bert Winfield, after an eight-year wait, Cardiff also managed to win the unofficial Welsh club championship in 1906 and 1907

26.
William McCutcheon
–
William Billy McCutcheon was a Welsh international rugby wing who played club rugby in the union code for Swansea and represented Oldham under the league code. McCutcheon was capped for the Wales national rugby union team seven times between 1891 and 1894, and in 1893 he was a member of the first Welsh Triple Crown winning team, McCutcheon joined Swansea in 1886, but in 1888 moved to Oldham. While at Oldham, McCutcheon joined Oldham Rugby Union Club but still travelled to Wales, at Oldham he played on the opposite wing to fellow Swansea player David Gwynn, who had also moved to the area. In 1889 McCutcheon was selected for the Lancashire county, again playing alongside Gwynn, McCutcheon began playing rugby with Swansea playing as a full-back but was brought onto the wing. It was as a wing that McCutcheon was selected to represent Wales when he was chosen for the game of the 1891 Home Nations Championship. Played away to Scotland at Raeburn Place, McCutcheon was one of three new Welsh caps in the game, the others being Ralph Sweet-Escott at half-back and David Daniel in the pack. Wales lost the game 15–0, and McCutcheon lost his place in the game to Tom Pearson. At the end of the 1890/91 season he was part of a Championship County winning team with Lancashire. During the 1892 Championship, McCutcheon was back in the Wales team and it was a terrible campaign for the Welsh squad, losing all three games of the tournament, though McCutcheon did not make the away trip to Lansdowne Road to face Ireland. During the 1893 Championship McCutcheon was given his first full campaign, in a complete turn around from the prior season, Wales won all their matches lifting the Triple Crown for the first time in the countrys history. McCutcheon played just one international game for Wales in the opener of the 1884 Home Nations Championship. Wales were beaten heavily on an icy pitch, and the next game McCutcheon was again replaced by Pearson, during the 1893/94 season, while with Oldham, McCutcheon won the Club Championship title. In 1895, Oldham was one of 21 English clubs that broke away from the union code, McCutcheon stayed with the club adopting the league code and therefore severing links with the amateur game. Wales England 1892,1893,1894 Ireland 1893 Scotland 1891,1892,1893 Alcock, C. W. Hill, the Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, ospreys website William McCutcheon profile Search for McCutcheon at rugbyleagueproject. org Statistics at orl-heritagetrust. org. uk

27.
Newport RFC
–
Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division, Newport RFC are based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk. Due to the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003 Newport RFC is now a club to Newport Gwent Dragons regional team. Newport supplied over 150 players to the Wales national team and international players to England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Czech Republic, Canada, Newport’s early success was remarkable, winning every single match in their first four seasons between 1875 and 1879. They were also successful in other tournaments winning the first two South Wales Cup competitions, the club’s strength was reflected at international level, providing more players to the Welsh national team than any other club in the nineteenth century, including four captains. In 1881 Newport was one of the clubs present at the forming of the Welsh Rugby Football Union. Their dominance led Newport’s club secretary, Richard Mulloch to arrange a match against the English domestic champions Blackheath Rugby Club, with a record attendance of 5,000 spectators Newport were out-classed by their opponents, losing four goals and eight tries to nil. However, Newport had played two games in the five days and Blackheath brought in outside players to bolster their squad. In October 1879 Newport played Cardiff RFC in a game at Rodney Parade. In 1887, Newport player Charlie Newman was given the captaincy of the Welsh national team, in 1887 Newport player Tom Clapp was given the Wales captaincy and in 1888 he led the first Welsh side to beat Scotland, a team that included Newport players Powell and Gould. During the 1891–92 season, under captain Tom Graham Newport went unbeaten, winning 29 games, Graham brought a new professional attitude to the team, introducing weekly gym training and an avoidance of alcohol. In 1912 Newport hosted the touring South Africa national team, invincible in 1922–23 Welsh Club Champions 1920,1923. Provided 5 Welsh,1 English and 1 Irish captains, golden era of Wetter, Uzzell, Griffiths, Morley, Bunner Travers etc. Golden era of Jones, Burnett, Thomas, Meredith, Price, Watkins, beat Australia 1957, NZ1963, SA1969, Tonga 1974. Welsh Club Champions 1951,1956,1962,1969, won Welsh Merit Table and Anglo-Welsh Merit Table. Provided 7 Welsh,1 Czech Rep,2 Canadian,1 Fijian captains, introduced 7’s to Wales and won Snellings 10 times and R/U9 times. One of pioneers of floodlights in Wales, introduced squad systems / players playing on rota in Wales. Won Welsh Cup twice, R/U3 times, Welsh Premier League winners and R/U – twice

28.
Llanelli RFC
–
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 Since the regionalisation of Welsh rugby Llanelli are now a feeder club to the Scarlets regional team. The club began the 2008–09 season at their home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli. Sosban Fach is a nickname of Llanelli RFC, Sosban Fach is the name of a Welsh song, the team colours are scarlet and white. Llanelli RFC was founded on 11 November 1875 when a group of local gentlemen met at the Athenaeum in Llanelli to form a football club. The first recorded match was played on 1 January 1876, against Cambria, the result was a draw, but Llanelli were declared winners as they had grounded the ball defensively fewer times than their opponents. Their second match was against Swansea on 5 February 1876, another draw, during this early period the team played in blue shirts and blue caps at Peoples Park. Llanelli RFC moved to Stradey Park in 1879, switching their colours to blue, the team switched their colours three more times before 1884, adopting black, then rose before switching to red and chocolate quarters. In 1884 Llanelli played an Irish XV who stopped off in the town and their first major trophies came in 1884 and 1886 with the South Wales Challenge Cup, the forerunner of the modern Welsh Cup. December 1888 saw the team beat a touring New Zealand Natives team by 3–0 with a goal from Harry Bowen. The team claimed their first full international scalp in 1908 when they beat Australia 8–3 and this would be the first of many famous victories over touring international sides. Players that wore the Scarlet jersey in this era included Albert Jenkins. After the war Lewis Jones was one of the stars of the game and he was capped by Wales aged just 18 in 1950, and was instrumental in their Grand Slam win that year. However just two later, he switched codes from the then amateur rugby union to the professional rugby league. Success was however not away from Stradey for long, a victory over Australia came in 1967 and the club was about to enter what many would argue was its strongest era. 9 –3 is a poem by Welsh comedian and singer Max Boyce, Llanelli took a 6–0 lead through a converted try but New Zealand struck back to make it 6–3. A long distance Andy Hill penalty ensured Llanelli emerged victors by 9–3, the poem is best known for the line The day the pubs ran dry, as huge celebrations followed and many pubs in the town sold out of all alcoholic drinks. The next notable period for Llanelli RFC was during the late 1980s, with players such as Ieuan Evans amongst the squad, Llanelli won the Welsh Cup five times in eight years between 1985 and 1993 including in consecutive seasons in 1991,1992 and 1993. They achieved their most recent success against international opponents when they beat Australia, the late 1990s and early years of the 21st century also produced many Welsh internationals including Rupert Moon, Ricky Evans, Wayne Proctor, Scott Quinnell and Stephen Jones

29.
Frank Mills (rugby union)
–
Frank Matthew Mills was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and Swansea and won 13 caps for Wales. He is best remembered as being one of the Wales squad that won the Triple Crown for the first time in 1893, although Mills originally played for Mountain Ash, he came to note as a rugby player when he represented first-class club Swansea, which he joined in 1892. His first season at Swansea also saw him selected for Wales, coming into the pack with new caps, Wallace Watts. Although Watts and Boucher were Newport players, Mills international career would mirror theirs and his debut Wales campaign was a poor one for the country. Mills played in all three games of the 1892 Home Nations Championship, and Wales lost all of them, Mills played in all three games, in a pack which was recognised for its weight, strength and scrummaging tactics. Mills was reselected for the 1894 Home Nations Championship, but a mixture of poor pitch conditions, at the end of the 1894 season, Mills is recorded playing at least one match for Glamorgan, alongside Swansea team-mate Billy Bancroft. The next season Mills had switched clubs from the Whites of Swansea to the Blues of Cardiff, the Welsh selectors lost faith in the pack, bringing in five new caps for the next game. Mills was one of those replaced and never represented Wales again. Wales England 1892,1893,1894,1895,1896 Ireland 1892,1893,1894,1895 Scotland 1892,1893,1894,1895 Alcock, C. W. Hill, the Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union

30.
Charles Nicholl
–
Charles Boomer Bowen Nicholl was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Llanelli. Nicholl played for Wales on fifteen occasions during the 1891 and 1896 Home Nations Championships, Nicholl was recognised as an uncompromising forward and was described as The most distinguished member of the least distinguished college. He was awarded his BA in 1893, but did not complete his MA until 1906, while at Cambridge he won five sporting Blues, four in rugby between 1890 and 1893, and one in athletics in 1893. After leaving university Nicholl became Assistant Master at Blair Lodge School for two years before spending four-year at Aravon School in Bray, in 1902 Nicholl was ordained a deacon at Lincoln Cathedral and the next year took his orders as a priest. From 1902 through to 1908 he was the Curate of Grantham, and in 1902 was also the Assistant Master at The Kings School, Grantham, from 1908 to 1910 he became the Rector of Wyville. In 1910 he took on the position of Head Master of The Kings School, Grantham, on leaving Grantham he took the post as Rector of Clayhidon, a position he held until his death in 1939. Nicholl first came to note as a player while studying at Llandovery College. The college already had a history of providing young talent, with Charles Lewis representing his country while still at Llandovery, Nicholl won a place at Cambridge University, and in 1890 was chosen to represent the university rugby team. He was described as a forward for the Cambridge pack. While still at Cambridge, and before his career began. And although Nicholl did not play in the first ever Barbarian game, he represented the team during the first tour and served as a committee man for the club. After losing the two opening matches of the 1891 Home Nations Championship, the Wales selection committee brought in four new forwards into the Welsh pack to face Ireland on 7 March. Three, Tom Deacon and John and David Samuel, were from Swansea RFC, played at Stradey Park, the game was only decided by a goal conversion from Billy Bancroft, giving Wales the victory and Ireland the wooden spoon. From that match, Nicholl became a fixture in the Welsh pack. Of his 15 caps for Wales he only missed one match over a 16-game run. Most notably, Nicholls was part of the 1893 team which saw Wales not only win the Championship, but lift the Triple Crown for the first time in the countrys history. The next years tournament saw Nicholl play the first two matches against England and Scotland, but then miss the game away to Ireland. Nicholl played in all three matches of the 1895 Championship, but 1896 saw a shift in the tactics employed by the Welsh Rugby Union

31.
Jim Hannan (rugby player)
–
Jim Hannan was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Newport. A strong tactical forward his work was excellent and could pivot the whole scrum around him. He first played for Newport in the 1884/85 season, but played only the single game, the next season he was a regular member of the first XV finding himself surrounded by many of the Welsh international forwards. In the 1891/92 season Hannon was part of the unbeaten Newport team, Hannan was first capped for Wales against the touring New Zealand Māori team on 22 December 1888 and scored a try in the game. He would represent his team on another 18 occasions, and although on the side more often than not. In 1893 he was part of the Wales team that won their first Triple Crown under the captaincy of Arthur Gould. Wales Māori 1888 England 1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895 Ireland 1889,1890,1892,1893,1894,1895 Scotland 1889,1890,1892,1893,1894,1895 Alcock, C. W. Hill, Rowland. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, a Century of Welsh Rugby Players

32.
Arthur Boucher
–
Arthur Boucher was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport. Boucher was a player, who although selected mainly as a forward. He was strong, quick for his position and passed well on the run and he was often noted for his kicking skills and kicked several drop goals each season even as a forward. Boucher was one of the last great all-round Welsh players before positional specialisation was adopted, Boucher played for the invitational Barbarians and became their club secretary between 1894 and 1899. He is the grandfather of Dick King-Smith. Born in Gobowen in England, Boucher moved to Wales while still young and he joined Newport during the 1889/90 season and in the following decade he captained them over three seasons. Boucher was part of Newports invincible 1891/92 season alongside the legendary Arthur Gould, Boucher was first selected to play for Wales on 2 January 1892 against England. He was brought in with fellow Newport forward Wallace Watts, the Welsh team were beaten soundly by England, and failed to win any of the games in that seasons Championship. The next season Boucher played his role in winning Waless very first Triple Crown, in his final game for Wales against England, Boucher scored his first and only try for his country, and due to the Gould Affair Wales played no further games that season. Wales England 1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897 Ireland 1892,1893,1895,1896 Scotland 1892,1893,1895 Alcock, C. W. Hill, fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. A Century of Welsh Rugby Players

33.
Wallace Watts
–
Wallace Howard Watts was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales. Watts was part of the 1893 Wales team which won the countrys first Triple Crown, from 1892 Watts played for county team Gloustershire. Watts first played for Newport in the 1889/90 season, but it took until the 1892 Home Nations Championship for him to be chosen for the Welsh national team. Although an Englishman by birth, the rules of nationality were more lax during the period, the next year saw a complete turnaround in Welsh fortunes when, under the captaincy of Arthur Gould the team won all three games, taking the Triple Crown. Watts played in all three games and continued to represent Wales over the next three Championships, but never to the level of success as in 1893 and his final game was the first match of the 1896 Championship, a massive 25-0 loss. In 1896, Watts moved to London and began playing for London exiles London Welsh and he played for London Welsh until 1911, into his forties. He became Honorary Secretary of the club during the 1912/13 season, Watts son, DRW Watts, a civil engineer and MD of George Wimpey Construction subsequently became Chairman of London Welsh in the late 1960s. Wales England 1892,1893,1894,1895,1896 Ireland 1892,1893,1894,1895 Scotland 1892,1893,1894 Alcock, C. W. Hill, the Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. Dragon in Exile, The Centenary History of London Welsh R. F. C, fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union

34.
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
–
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, sometimes abbreviated CURUFC, is the rugby union club of the University of Cambridge. The team plays Oxford University RFC in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium every December, Cambridge players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest. Many have gone on to represent their country and the British and Irish Lions, whilst at Cambridge University James Bevan became the first captain of the Wales national rugby union team. Football is believed to have introduced to Cambridge University in 1839 by Trinity College fresher Albert Pell. Pell had matriculated at Cambridge after going up from Rugby School, Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club was officially established in 1872, around three years after the Oxford rugby club was founded. The first Varsity match was contested between the two teams on 10 February 1872, the Cambridge team was led out by captain Isaac Cowley Lambert, wearing pink jerseys with a monogram on the left breast. Played away at the Park in Oxford, Cambridge lost by a goal to nil. CURUFC officials helped to draw up the laws of the game that were adopted by the Rugby Football Union when it was established in 1871, Cambridge became a Constituent Body of the Union in 1872, a status which the club still holds today. In 1874, Cambridge provided their first international player directly from the club, the following former players were selected for the British and Irish Lions touring squads whilst playing for Cambridge University. P. Oxford v Cambridge, The Story of the University Rugby Match

35.
Blackheath F.C.
–
The club was founded in 1858 and is the oldest open rugby club in the world since becoming open in 1862. Open in this means that membership was open to anyone, not merely those attending, or old boys from. It is also the third-oldest rugby club in existence in the world, after Dublin University Football Club. Blackheath, along with Civil Service FC, is one of the two clubs that can claim to be a member of both The Football Association and the Rugby Football Union. The club currently play in National League 1 the third tier of the English rugby union system, the institution was founded as Blackheath Football Club in 1858 by old boys of Blackheath Proprietary School who played a carrying game of football made popular by Rugby School. When the old boys played against the current pupils supporters would shout for either Club or School accordingly and this is why to this day supporters of BFC shout for Club, not for Blackheath. In 1863 the club developed the tactic of passing the ball player to player as an alternative to the solo break. Mr Francis Maule Campbell, a member of Blackheath, was elected treasurer, at the sixth meeting on 8 December Campbell withdrew Blackheath, explaining that the rules that the FA intended to adopt would destroy the game and all interest in it. Other rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the Football Association, in this way the great divide between soccer and rugby took place. On 26 January 1871 a meeting attended by representatives from 22 clubs was held in London at the Pall Mall Restaurant, as a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union was founded. Three lawyers who had been pupils at Rugby School drew up the first laws of the game which were approved in June 1871, the Club is one of seven of the original twenty-one clubs to have survived to this day. On 27 March 1871, England played Scotland at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh and this was the first international rugby union game in history. Richardsons Field hosted the first England v. Wales fixture on 19 February 1881, in 1982 Blackheath joined the list of winning teams at the Glengarth Sevens at Stockport R. U. F. Blackheath played their last game at the Rectory Field on 30 April 2016, the ever popular Mini and Junior sections now have their own home ground, based at Kidbrooke Road, Well Hall, London, SE9. The club provides sections ranging from Under-6s right through to Under-18s, the Mini Section successfully ran its first ever Mini Rugby Festival at Eltham College on 25 November 2007. Graduates of the junior section include several county players. The club at Under-18 level works in conjunction with London Leisure College to make sure that players with academic commitments do not get tempted away from the game, note, Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality, see also Category, Blackheath F. C. players Frederick Stokes, the first captain of the England national rugby union team

36.
Richard Lockwood
–
Prior to 3 September 1898, Dewsbury was a rugby union club, and prior to the 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season, Heckmondwike was also a rugby union club. Dicky Lockwood was born on 11 November 1867 in Crigglestone, Dicky Lockwoods marriage was registered during January→March 1889 in Dewsbury district. Dicky Lockwood was the Landlord of The Queen Hotel, Westgate, Lockwood made his international debut on Saturday 8 January 1887 in Llanelli against Wales in the 1887 Home Nations Championship. The match was to have held at Stradey Park, which would have been that grounds first international rugby union match. The adjacent cricket ground was in condition, so the match was moved there along with the entire crowd. Of the 14 matches he played for his side he was on the winning side on 8 occasions. He played his match for England on Saturday 3 February 1894 at Rectory Field. When Heckmondwike converted from the union code to the rugby league code for the 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season. Biography of Arthur Budd with an England team photograph including Richard Lockwood Search for Lockwood at rugbyleagueproject. org

37.
Frederic Alderson
–
Frederic Hodgson Rudd Alderson was an English international rugby union threequarter who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Hartlepool Rovers. Alderson played international rugby for England and was an member of invitational team. Alderson was born in Hartford in 1867 and educated in Durham and he received his BA in 1889 and that year took up the post of Assistant Master of Henry Smith School in Hartlepool. He became headmaster of the school in 1892, a position he would hold until his death in 1925. Alderson first came to note as a player when he represented the Cambridge University team. His Cambridge links served him well when William Percy Carpmael, a fellow Cambridge Blue, invited Alderson to join his newly formed touring team. In 1890 he became one of the members of the Barbarians. Alderson was given the captaincy on his game, an honour he would hold for all. For the remainder of the Championship Alderson led England to a victory over Ireland, but a loss to Scotland. The 1892 Championship saw England win all three matches making Alderson a Triple Crown captain, as he led the team for the game against Wales. Alderson missed the Irish leg, the switching to Sammy Woods, but scored a try and a conversion against Wales. This was the third Triple Crown for England, and the first time a team had finished the season without conceding a single point, Alderson played one more international game, the opener of the 1893 Home Nations Championship, a narrow loss at the Cardiff Arms Park to Wales. After retiring from playing rugby, Alderson continued his involvement with the sport when he became a referee, in 1903 he officiated his only international match, the 1893 Home Nations clash between Scotland and Ireland

Wales ((listen); Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmri] (listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of …

Britain in AD 500: The areas shaded pink on the map were inhabited by the CelticBritons, here labelled Welsh. The pale blue areas in the east were controlled by Germanic tribes, whilst the pale green areas to the north were inhabited by the Gaels and Picts.